Devon MP calls for action as oil prices surge for off-grid households

A Devon MP is demanding immediate action from the government as the price of heating oil for thousands of Devon households rockets.

Official data has revealed that 7,496 off-grid households in the Newton Abbot area are being ‘abandoned’ by the Government as the conflict in Iran drives up costs, said the town’s Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley.

Now he has called for urgent intervention, asking Chancellor Rachel Reeves to ‘see sense’ as some oil companies use the current crisis in Iran as an excuse to inflate prices. 

Liberal Democrats are calling for an initial three-month zero-rating for VAT on heating oil for all residential homes. 

According to House of Commons Library data, 16.8 per cent of households in the Newton Abbot constituency are off the gas grid. Mr Wrigley said these residents, who rely on heating oil, are currently excluded from the Ofgem energy price cap, leaving them fully exposed to market volatility.

The party has also called on the Government to develop a mechanism to shield off-grid families from sudden price surges, providing them with similar protection to the energy price cap.

For the long term, the party has urged the government to upgrade homes and make them cheaper to heat, starting with free insulation for those on low incomes, and ensuring that all new homes are zero-carbon.

Mr Wrigley said: “Families in Devon who rely on heating oil are being left to bear the brunt of shocks to the global market in their bills.

”The government must provide immediate relief for households who are grappling with rocketing oil and gas prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

“The Chancellor knows that families who rely on heating oil are getting ripped off but she is refusing to help. She must see sense.”